Jotunheim
Mallory POV
"Operation End of Mischief is a go", crackles over the walkie talkie.
"Do we have to do the whole "action movie one-liners thing"? I ask, rolling my eyes.
"Yes", Halfborn insists. "I never got to talk that way in my human life, but I AM a warrior."
I roll my eyes again.
Halfborn, Blitzen, Hearth, and I have come to Jotunheim looking for Loki. He's not in Asgard or Muspellheim, so where else would he be?
Magnus and Alex don't know we're here. Neither does Sam, who quite frankly would be useful on a mission like this, I mean the girl can force water horses to her will, but she'd end up telling her sister. We also don't know if she might try to stop us. None of us want to lose Alex. Or to have to live with Magnus for the next however many centuries until Ragnarock if he loses her.
We know he sneaks into Midgard to drink. We know he's been neglecting Chase Place. We know he's spent hours in the 50th floor library trying to find books on how to kill a god, which Odin culled from Valhalla hundreds of years ago for his own reasons. He quietly suffers while he supports Alex any way he can.
I have issues. Let's be honest. So does my boyfriend. But Magnus is another story. For Halfborn and I...well, we've both done what we had to do. My boyfriend killed more people with Ivar the Boneless in 850 than he can count. I took lives with the IRA in the 1970's, not proud of it, but it happened. We're both, for lack of a better term, "comfortable" with killing. It's not right to watch the most innocent person any of us have ever known struggle with finding the right thing to do. Sometimes you have to do the most expedient thing. And whether Magnus or Sam like it, sometimes you just have to close your eyes and do what needs to be done. We're here to assassinate Loki, and no one is going to stop us.
Vanaheim
Magnus POV
"Magnus?"
I find myself caught up in sweet-smelling female arms. My gorgeous aunt, who officially now looks younger than I do thanks to stress, is smiling at me.
"I'm so happy to see you again. And I'm so sorry for the circumstances. Your father is so excited to see you", she squeals.
"Thank you, Aunt Freya", I say, hugging her back. As the goddess of love, beauty, and sex (and a nice piece of jewelry), my aunt will be an eternal 25-year old Victoria's Secret model. She looks like those Swedish bikini team girls from the beer commercials that played when my mother was a kid.
"Magnus!" Next, I my embrace my father, her twin, the god of summer, warmth, healing, and fertility. With dishwater blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes, wearing tight jeans, and a tshirt with pricey hiking books, he looks like a model from the June LL Bean catalog.
"Jack?", he asks.
"At Valhalla. I preferred he watch over Alex", I offer, and Frey nods.
"So twins", he says, "Runs in the family."
"Yep." I nod. "We agreed we're not doing two names with the same letter though. No Frey and Freya", I laugh, "Or Luke and Leia."
"Who?", he asks, confused.
"Uh...not important", I say.
"I'm so sorry", he continues, "I should have warned you, but I had no idea that particular gift would be so strong in a second generation. And the pregnant person is...a male? That's quite remarkable, Magnus..."
"Alex is transgender and gender fluid", I correct, "So male is only a small part of the story. And it's okay, dad, the pregnancy is okay, we've adjusted, we're thrilled actually. But...Alex is Loki's kid, so she's part Jotun..."
"Yes, I heard", he winces. "Loki's kid, I mean, Magnus, maybe someone else...this isn't destined to end well."
"I love her, dad. I'm here to find out how to save her", I say.
He puts his hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, pal, I don't think I can help you. I don't think anyone can."
My stomach sinks straight to the floor. "You were my only hope", I admit. "I've never asked you for anything. I never ask anyone for anything, any godly favors, but...I NEED this. I need help saving Alex and my kids. Loki says she'll die, and he'll kidnap them. I won't let any of that happen."
"Tell me about her", my dad says, smiling sadly.
"My daily prayer to Asgard is that she's happy. Yes, an atheist prays. I've met all you gods and still don't believe you're really "god gods", but I also can't stop asking someone to help me because this just feels too big. So I pray that my children are born healthy and unlike my childhood, their parents live long enough to give them everything they need, and I pray that Alex is strong and healthy, and that I make her happy. Whether that's true or not...Alex has always kept me on my toes." I sigh, and I know Frey is looking concerned as I rub the spot between my eyes. "I spend every moment trying to understand her...you would think it would get annoying, but it never does. It might actually be working though...she giggles now. Giggles. Seriously. The girl who cut my head off the first moment she met me now giggles."
Speaking of which, my father appears to be laughing. Nice.
"Magnus, you sound...like a man. A grown-up. You have real responsibilities. In all my godly years, I have occasionally wished to be less...I have wished to be mortal. When I met your mother. I have never ever felt jealous though...until now."
"Don't be", say, wiping away tears, "It may not last very long for me. And listen, Dad, I know this may not be the type of relationship you envisioned for me, or even one that you understand, but I want to thank you for being so accepting...", I start.
"Really, Magnus? I'm a god. I've had literally thousands of years to mature and understand the human condition. Do you think I care that your wife is gender transgender? I'm more concerned that she's Loki's."
"Wife?" Then it dawns on me. That's what I forgot. "Oh man, I should be married to Alex, shouldn't I? Before the babies come. Maybe she's expecting me to ask...oh Dad, I think I screwed this up."
"You didn't screw anything up, son. I loved your mother...I know it seems as if I couldn't have, but I did. I still do. Natalie was...is...an amazing woman. I would have loved being married to her", he says.
I can't help but notice Frey keeps talking about my mother in the present tense. I want to hear more about why, but I don't want to split my attention right now.
I had planned to keep my emotions in check, they don't move the gods move anyway, but I find myself losing control, and my head crashes into my hands.
He puts his arms around me. "You know I wanted something once", he says, with an artificial peppiness in his voice, "I wanted to know something very, very badly. Bad enough to break the rules to find the answer. There is only one object that can allow you to see the answer to any question."
I just look at him, wide-eyed.
"So I sat on Odin's throne against the rules. And I lost my beloved Sumerbrander for it. I'm just glad he got a better owner. And I found out I will lose my life for it at Ragnarok, killed on my own sword. And I ended up losing Gerd in the end anyway."
Yes, I remembered, my father sat on the throne of Asgard, an honor reserved only for the king and queen, and his soul-mate was revealed to him—the gorgeous, frigid, frost giantess, Gerd. He traded his sword, his life, and quite frankly his dignity, for her hand in marriage. He got his heart's desire, but it didn't last long.
I wasn't eager to try that route. Breaking godly rules usually came with worse consequences than the ones you were trying to avoid, and I wasn't going to play around with the lives of Alex and my children.
"Only one way you can get away with it...", he starts, and I lean in.
"Only the king or queen can sit on that throne", he says.
"Is there no other way? Is there no way I can trick it?", I ask.
"No way to trick it. Only the king or queen of Asgard can sit on that throne."
"So...why are you telling me this? Do you think I could make this work somehow..."
"Only the king or queen of Asgard can sit on that throne", he repeats.
I feel the way I do when I can't find my keys, but they're sitting right in front of me. I know I'm missing something.
"Dad, help me please, if I can..."
"You love her", he interrupts, smiling, "That's a powerful weapon. I want to know something too, you know. I want something. For both of us."
"When you were talking about my mother..."
"Now, Magnus, you have enough on your plate right now", he says.
"But my mom, I've been trying to see her, find her for so long now", I say. "You have no idea how badly I wish she was here with me right now."
"I know, Magnus, I know. You worry about your responsibilities, and I'll worry about mine, okay?", he says, winking. "Now let's go for a walk in Freya's garden. The roses are blooming, but then again, they always are."
Jotunheim
Mallory POV
"I think I see him, over the ridge to the left", Halfborn comments, handing me the binoculars, as we creep behind a boulder.
"Can I help you kiddos?", we hear and we all jump sky high. "And the dwarf and the elf of course."
Loki is standing behind us, laughing, and has apparently known we were here the entire time.
"We haven't been kids in a long time", Halfborn says, unnecessarily.
"Everyone is a child compared to a god", Loki says.
Hearth has his hand on his chest like he's going to have a heart attack, and Blitz is staring daggers through Loki.
"Again, what brings two einherjar and a couple of subhuman creatures to Jotunheim?"
"Subhuman?!", Blitzen roars.
"You're here to talk to me, I take it?", Loki prompts.
"We're not going to let you kill Alex", I say, finally finding my tongue.
"Kill Alex?" He laughs. "I'm not going to kill Alex. I have no desire to kill Alex. Don't get me wrong, she's been a pain in the ass and no help to me whatsoever so far, but that could change. No, Alex is going to die because she did something stupid and got knocked up with your godling of summer's brats. Nothing I can do about it." He spreads his hands as if to demonstrate there's nothing he can do about it
"You want her dead and you plan to steal the twins!", Blitzen yells.
"I can't steal my own grandchildren", Loki insists, "They will be safe with me."
"They belong with their father", Hearth signs.
"Yeah!", Halborn yells. I wonder when he learned ASL.
"Mango Cheese?!", Loki howls. He truly despises Magnus since our friend beat him so badly in the flyting, making a fool of him in front of giants, zombies, gods, and einherhar alike. "I assure you, the twins will be safer with me than they could ever be with Magnus."
What were we thinking? Loki is a god. He could kill us with one wave of his hand. We're in over our heads, we don't even have weapons that could...
I reach slowly into my pockets. They're nearly 100% pure silver, and would be if silver weren't so malleable, but a pure silver dagger would bend. They've been strengthened with platinum instead of copper, and are a more beautiful color than anyone's ever seen—a whitish silver inlaid with warm dark pink rubies. Crafted expertly by the hand of the queen of Asgard herself.
I spin around fast, and jam one dagger in Loki's chest. No one is more surprised than I am.
He actually screams, and blood gushes down his chest.
Halfborn is used to thinking on his feet, and he also attacks, but his weapons, even the black steel axes, do little good.
Angrily, Loki pulls the dagger from his chest, and it's covered with his hot gooey blood. My aim was off a little, or he'd be dead.
"Now things have to get serious", he says. "I'm not going to kill you all, that would anger my brother a tad too much, but I'm going to send him a message. I'm going to hurt you. Bad."
Valhalla
Magnus POV
I get back from Vanaheim late. When I walk into Alex's bedroom, she's passed out on the bed, sound asleep, snoring like a freight train, wearing pink leggings and the tshirt Halfborn bought for her that reads "I'm love with an idiot." Thanks, Gunderson, always a pleasure. The shirt has completely ridden up exposing what has to be the biggest 7-month-pregnant-with-twins belly in all the 9 worlds. I glance at her as if she somehow sensed I thought that, and is going to garrote my head off. She smells like sleep and the chocolate chip cookies she was devouring and apparently didn't want me to see because she's shoved them under the bed. In this moment, I would give my life just to see her smile. I didn't know it was possible to feel this way about anyone.
She opens her eyes and smiles at me. I produce the bouquet behind my back—a collection of pink, mauve, peach, and coral roses that blend together perfectly, the most beautiful roses that ever grew.
"They're beautiful, thank you", she says.
"They're from Freya's garden", I say, setting them on the floor.
I lay down behind her, gathering her close to me, and she wiggles back into my arms. "Was I snoring?", she asks.
"Like a locomotive."
She gently slaps my arm. "Bad Magnus."
"Will you marry me?"
A soft gasp. She rolls over onto her back, enormous bare belly in the air, looking more innocent than I have ever seen Alex look. Both eyes, brown and hazel, are staring up at me, filled with a mix of confusion, fear, and delight. Hair a total mess, the scent of deep sleep, she's warm and soft and confused, and I want her so much I can't stand it. I order my body parts to behave themselves...I'm trying to do something here.
"Do you really mean it, Magnus? Are you sure? You're not asking just because of the babies?"
"I'm sure. It may have taken longer to ask if you weren't pregnant, but I certainly would have gotten around to it. I love you, always have..." I say, and her lips meet mine.
"Are you sure, Magnus? That you want to be a..." She chokes. "A widower in your early twenties?"
"STOP THAT!", I shout, and hold her close, "I'm not giving up and I'm not going to let you give up either!"
"I always dreamed, really dreamed of this...but it could never happen for me, obviously, I would never be anyone's wife or mother, but..." She stops. My heart wants to break in half as a tear drips down her cheek. I wipe it away. "It's all coming true. For a trans, gender fluid woman, it's all coming true. But I can't have it for long."
I kiss her and spoon her, squeezing her tight. "You will, I swear it. My bride, Alex Fierro, you'll look even more beautiful than the first time I saw you in a wedding dress..."
"Chase. Maybe it's all the insane hormones plunging through my bloodstream, but I'm in the mood to be traditional. Alex Chase. Oh and if by some chance, I do survive, anything public is waiting until these two are born, and I've got my waist back...NO way am I walking down any aisle looking like this or getting a wedding dress made in this size! But...we could have something private before the twins come."
"Soon?"
"Very soon."
We rub noses. If I were watching us from outside this room, I'd probably puke. But inside this room...well, it's pretty nice to be here.
"I was hoping you were going to ask", she says, rolling over, burying her face in my chest. "But you're not always the sharpest tool in the shed."
I can't argue with it.